Surface Pro on sale tomorrow, and Surface RT spreads through Europe on the 14th.

A billion Office documents have been saved to SkyDrive, Microsoft announced today. This number will surely grow with Office 2013 using SkyDrive as the default save location.

Previously, editing those documents with the Office Web Apps required a Microsoft account. Microsoft has changed that policy. While a Microsoft account is still required to have your own SkyDrive and documents, you can now edit other people's documents to which you've been invited even without an account; you just need the invitation link. This should make co-authoring simpler and more accessible.

Surface Pro goes on sale in the US and Canada tomorrow. While we thought the system had flaws, OneNote die-hards will probably fall in love with it and graphic artists might find it an intriguing proposition too—a device that's comparable to a Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet, only it packs an entire computer into the screen. Microsoft was originally planning a launch event in New York City to celebrate the release, but that's been cancelled as apparently the city is expecting a wee dusting of snow.

We learned last month that Microsoft was increasing availability of the Surface RT in "coming weeks." That timeframe is now concrete: from February 14th, the Surface RT will be available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Also announced last month was a new Surface RT SKU—64 GB without a bundled keyboard. That will be going on sale from tomorrow, so you'll no longer need to get a boring old black Touch Cover if you want the higher capacity unit. You will, however, be able to get one of the new patterned Touch Covers and Surface-styled Wedge Mouse, which also go on sale tomorrow.

Way back at the Windows Phone 8 launch last year, Microsoft promised that Spotify was coming to the platform. Windows Phone 7 had a Spotify client, but it's one of the small selection of apps that weren't compatible with Windows Phone 8 due to its use of native code. The new free app is still a "beta," and it comes with a 30-day Spotify trial.

'While we thought the system had flaws, OneNote die-hards will probably fall in love with it and graphic artists might find it an intriguing proposition too—a device that's comparable to a Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet, only it packs an entire computer into the screen.'

But there's plenty of note taking software available on the iPad (And OneNote is available on the iPad too). Moreover, there's plenty of graphics software on the iPad too, and they are of excellent quality.

'While we thought the system had flaws, OneNote die-hards will probably fall in love with it and graphic artists might find it an intriguing proposition too—a device that's comparable to a Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet, only it packs an entire computer into the screen.'

But there's plenty of note taking software available on the iPad (And OneNote is available on the iPad too). Moreover, there's plenty of graphics software on the iPad too, and they are of excellent quality.

But there's a multitude of pressure and capacitive sensitive styli for the iPad. I got one that Wacom (Bamboo) is currently selling for $29.95

Those Wacom styli are not pressure sensitive. The one pressure sensitive model I've seen claims to only support "hundreds of levels", is bulky due to accomodating a battery, can't detect pen angle, and costs $80. That isn't really apples to apples.

On top of that, note taking might be ok on an iPad, but there is no substitute for the huge number of art and animation programs available to Win8. That doesn't make the Surface right for everyone, but too many people keep trying to paint the iPad as a legit substitute for one reason or another when it certainly isn't.

EDIT: Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but no Bluetooth stylus can be detected without making physical contact with the screen. If Surface is using a Wacom digitizer, this almost certainly won't be the case, making the Surface stylus much more useful for most applications.

SkyDrive until recently (with SkyDrive Pro) wasn't really for businesses at all; it was for consumers. The business play was and is SharePoint.

Yes of course. We know that. I was trying to illustrate the scales involved here. How many user generated files do all the world's home computers have on their HDs? Does anyone have any numbers for Google Docs or iCloud (ugh pains me to iType that let alone iPronounce it)? They blow this away by orders of magnitude.

'Those Wacom styli are not pressure sensitive. The one pressure sensitive model I've seen claims to only support "hundreds of levels", is bulky due to accomodating a battery, can't detect pen angle, and costs $80. That isn't really apples to apples.

On top of that, note taking might be ok on an iPad, but there is no substitute for the huge number of art and animation programs available to Win8. That doesn't make the Surface right for everyone, but too many people keep trying to paint the iPad as a legit substitute for one reason or another when it certainly isn't.

EDIT: Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but no Bluetooth stylus can be detected without making physical contact with the screen. If Surface is using a Wacom digitizer, this almost certainly won't be the case, making the Surface stylus much more useful for most applications.'

'Those Wacom styli are not pressure sensitive. The one pressure sensitive model I've seen claims to only support "hundreds of levels", is bulky due to accomodating a battery, can't detect pen angle, and costs $80. That isn't really apples to apples.

On top of that, note taking might be ok on an iPad, but there is no substitute for the huge number of art and animation programs available to Win8. That doesn't make the Surface right for everyone, but too many people keep trying to paint the iPad as a legit substitute for one reason or another when it certainly isn't.

EDIT: Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but no Bluetooth stylus can be detected without making physical contact with the screen. If Surface is using a Wacom digitizer, this almost certainly won't be the case, making the Surface stylus much more useful for most applications.'

'Those Wacom styli are not pressure sensitive. The one pressure sensitive model I've seen claims to only support "hundreds of levels", is bulky due to accomodating a battery, can't detect pen angle, and costs $80. That isn't really apples to apples.

On top of that, note taking might be ok on an iPad, but there is no substitute for the huge number of art and animation programs available to Win8. That doesn't make the Surface right for everyone, but too many people keep trying to paint the iPad as a legit substitute for one reason or another when it certainly isn't.

EDIT: Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but no Bluetooth stylus can be detected without making physical contact with the screen. If Surface is using a Wacom digitizer, this almost certainly won't be the case, making the Surface stylus much more useful for most applications.'

Call me old-fashioned but I still can't get around the fact that apps on WinRT take over the display. While it makes sense for a small display it's a turn off on desktops/laptops that could easily support five, ten, fifteen simultaneously applications.

It seems that this is due to Direct3D having replaced the Windows subsystem and replaced the classic windows "canvas" with a DX rendering surface (is this where Surface gets its name? RT = Rendering Target?).

This redesign allows for a seamless integrating of video, graphics, images and text at high speed. That's how one can expand or shrink an html page without loss of precision in real time, no matter how complex the page is.

Alas, everything has a price and since graphics drivers don't know how to implement a Z-order on fully rendered surfaces the price we have to pay is full-screen-only.

I don't use Spotify, but I do own (and love - LOVE, people!) a WP8 device. So I'm glad to see it show up. Because I know Spotify is important to some people. I'm one of few apparently left still getting by with a very minimal data plan.

I also got a chance to play with a Surface Pro today. I hope people give it a fair shot, because it's a neat device and one I would seriously consider if I were in the market for a new computer. And that is coming from somebody who owns and uses a MBP and iPad 4. Apple has fallen behind: Windows 8 is actually pretty neat.

Call me old-fashioned but I still can't get around the fact that apps on WinRT take over the display. While it makes sense for a small display it's a turn off on desktops/laptops that could easily support five, ten, fifteen simultaneously applications.

It seems that this is due to Direct3D having replaced the Windows subsystem and replaced the classic windows "canvas" with a DX rendering surface (is this where Surface gets its name? RT = Rendering Target?).

This redesign allows for a seamless integrating of video, graphics, images and text at high speed. That's how one can expand or shrink an html page without loss of precision in real time, no matter how complex the page is.

Alas, everything has a price and since graphics drivers don't know how to implement a Z-order on fully rendered surfaces the price we have to pay is full-screen-only.

Here's praying that W9 fixes this important limitation.

This is one of the odder complaints you could make about the Surface Pro, isn't it? Unlike tablet apps on iPad and Android, you can view two Metro apps simultaneously on Windows 8/RT. And you still have the full desktop which supports as many windows as it always did. There's no other tablet that comes anywhere close to this when it comes to using multiple windows.

So does the RT hardware not support digital pens at all? Could a company not come out with a program via the store that offers this with the use of 3rd party pens? What is the advantage of the Pro digitizer? I'm probably about as uninformed about this subject as you can get but playing around with a pro unit I did like the pen and could see myself using one on a daily basis. Basically I guess I'm asking could I get an RT unit with a 3rd party pen and make it work or is ponying up for the Pro the only way it's gonna happen?

Call me old-fashioned but I still can't get around the fact that apps on WinRT take over the display. While it makes sense for a small display it's a turn off on desktops/laptops that could easily support five, ten, fifteen simultaneously applications.

It seems that this is due to Direct3D having replaced the Windows subsystem and replaced the classic windows "canvas" with a DX rendering surface (is this where Surface gets its name? RT = Rendering Target?).

This redesign allows for a seamless integrating of video, graphics, images and text at high speed. That's how one can expand or shrink an html page without loss of precision in real time, no matter how complex the page is.

Alas, everything has a price and since graphics drivers don't know how to implement a Z-order on fully rendered surfaces the price we have to pay is full-screen-only.

Here's praying that W9 fixes this important limitation.

This is one of the odder complaints you could make about the Surface Pro, isn't it? Unlike tablet apps on iPad and Android, you can view two Metro apps simultaneously on Windows 8/RT. And you still have the full desktop which supports as many windows as it always did. There's no other tablet that comes anywhere close to this when it comes to using multiple windows.

Just read the upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 allows 16 different apps open on the screen...and the screen is pressure sensitive.

OK, I mistakenly referred to tilt sensitivity as angle recognition. I'll assume that's the reason for confusion here. No pen you've linked to features it. No pen you've linked to works without making contact with the screen. Most are Bluetooth and wouldn't work with your iPad in airplane mode. The Kickstarter pen isn't Bluetooth, but requires a special case for the iPad and is not universal. The Kickstarter page doesn't even provide a list of compatible apps (if there are any) and will, at best, be available in 4-6 months....for $120.

Again, you're trying hard to find a comparable solution for the iPad and there are none. Even if there were, the majority of the graphics/design/animation software that such a tool is most useful for does not exist for iPad and will not exist for iPad in the foreseeable future. That's just the way it is.

Could a company not come out with a program via the store that offers this with the use of 3rd party pens? What is the advantage of the Pro digitizer? I'm probably about as uninformed about this subject as you can get but playing around with a pro unit I did like the pen and could see myself using one on a daily basis. Basically I guess I'm asking could I get an RT unit with a 3rd party pen and make it work or is ponying up for the Pro the only way it's gonna happen?

You could use a third-party pen with the RT right now, but they would all suffer from the same drawbacks that I've mentioned in some other comments here regarding iPad pens. Of course, if you just want it for note taking and navigating the OS, then a third-party pen might suit you. Look at something like the Wacom Bamboo.

Again, you're trying hard to find a comparable solution for the iPad and there are none. Even if there were, the majority of the graphics/design/animation software that such a tool is most useful for does not exist for iPad and will not exist for iPad in the foreseeable future. That's just the way it is.

Agreed.

People cheering their platform of choice - whether iOS, Android, or Windows - seem to argue for their platform the same way guys argued about Chevy, Ford, and Dodge when I was in high school.